Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[cheeka]

the big girls want to bathe by the lilac today, probably because we're out doing yard work... I've got my awesome

handy man running the weed whacker... and I've been cutting the grass... so that area being Peachy's Eminent Domain... she's been beating the snot out of each and every one who dares to enter her Sacred Jungle. (that's not how Blu got bloodied, that happened in the dome before anyone was out) No one fights back with Peach, they just leave. I'm trying to convince Mylee to have a quiet hour, she's not interested, so we'll go ride the John Deere together and finish the lawn.

 

[lindz8504]

first time broody who's small... bantam eggs are smaller... you could stick with say 5, and probably hatch 3-4 if not all five, but if the eggs are really small, I bet she could cover 9 easily. they pancake more than you realize... and can cover a lot of space. Peach, is bantam, and she can easily cover 5 XL LF eggs. totally up to you and Ms Broody

Thanks cheeka! This isn't her first brood, but it is my first! LOL... she hatched my small black cochins earlier this spring, so she is the pro here! I am the novice! ( I got all my cochins from the same breeder back early in the summer.) If she has been setting for 4 days, and I leave Amelia's eggs under her starting today for the next week or so, will that work? Will she leave the nest before they hatch since she has been setting already? I am not sure how all this is supposed to work!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hi lindz, your broody should make it through the hatching cycle. After they've been sitting empty for 10+ days, it can be risky, especially for a new broody. (This from reading/research, not experience.) Agree with cheeka about everything, although as to how many eggs, you may also want to consider how many more chickens (roos?) you really want and to get at least 2 to hatch, which I think is better for the chicks. Sounds exciting and hope you show us some pics!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Just curious what type hawks do you all think is carrying your chickens away? Around here in Kentucky the largest hawk I ever see is a Red Tailed Hawk. Also known as a "chicken hawk" and they rarely prey on full size chickens. They are quite small compared to a large fowl chicken. Eating a full size chicken would mean consuming at least twice its body weight and then it would have to fly away without leaving any evidence. My point is I think we might be looking at the wrong predators in some of these cases. Hope this helps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_Hawk

Maybe one of these???

Folks out here frequently have chickens killed by red tails, including my neighbor, but there is always evidence left behind. Some of the larger 4 footed predators can take a large bird without a trace if they make a clean catch/kill.

yeah, the hawks we have are small... the eagles on the other hand... golden and bald... we have both, but the bald usually stay lower down the mountain, nearer the bigger bodies of water. the golden eagles could snatch a medium sized chicken - I watched one swoop down and take a squirrel, it looked like a snack between it's talons... we have falcons too, which can get to a decent size, but it's mostly the fox and coyote here that steal chickens. I hope you didn't lose anyone MC.

I've got 2 new to me bantam roos. One is a OEG, the other I have to research some. he's a Dutch something. quite beautiful, but I only got a few pics yesterday, not the greatest as Mylee was crowding them some.

Very cute! I have my SOP copy from the library and will look to see what I can find about a Dutch breed. Are you turning into the rooster-rescue lady?

Or do you have other plans for these guys? I realize how much I enjoy having a rooster around, even though he only weighs about a pound. Haha!. Their personalities are so very different from the hens and they are great fun to watch.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY Ethel is back! I went out throughout the night, was dreaming about her when I woke up today....didn't see her. Just now I went outside and just sat there for awhile with the dogs....I was scanning the yard from the porch and I noticed her walking the fence line of the neighbors house...So happy.

What a relief! I always do a head count at night, but then I only have 11 in the coop so it's pretty quick. Wonder what happened to make her not go in with the others? Sometimes I get concerned when everybody races over for PIE and one is missing. Other than being on a nest, the only thing that keeps them from PIE is being in a warm, dust bathing stupor. It's like their in a trance!

Something may have scared Ethel into hiding. They will stay hidden for a long time if it's traumatic enough.

Quote: Remember my friend with the traveling curse who went to the Bahamas at the beginning of Aug? You'll notice there were no major storms during that time. I thought the vacation curse had been broken... but no, my friend broke her toe instead!!

It's always something! They still had fun though.

 

[lindz8504]

BROODY CLARABELLE

BABY CHICKS!

DOODLE!

THE YOUNG COCHINS!

GOLDEN COMET GIRLS!

 

[Sallysec]

Okay I multi quoted more than this and they all got eaten .....soooooo Welcome back lindz and that sounds like a lot of eggs for three layers just starting out. A lot of pullets lay an egg and wait a few days when they first start so you may have more than what you think laying. Once they lay regularly they become egg machines. I am surprised when I don't get eight for eight now. Today I got six so far...my girls lay later in the day it would seem, but then it changes regularly by a few hours because of the cycle cheeka mentioned. I have had the two eggs from one hen effect because we check the eggs at different times etc. Good luck catching up.

Hi lindz, your broody should make it through the hatching cycle. After they've been sitting empty for 10+ days, it can be risky, especially for a new broody. (This from reading/research, not experience.) Agree with cheeka about everything, although as to how many eggs, you may also want to consider how many more chickens (roos?) you really want and to get at least 2 to hatch, which I think is better for the chicks. Sounds exciting and hope you show us some pics!

W4W I wondered where you had been, I even mentioned to my husband that I was going to PM you...ofcourse I forgot that I was going to do it. Some days I wonder where I left my mind because I think about doing so much more than I ever accomplish.

BROODY CLARABELLE

BABY CHICKS!

DOODLE!

THE YOUNG COCHINS!

GOLDEN COMET GIRLS!

Looks like you have some cuties

I love the name clarabelle.

Cheeka, glad you have a good weed whacker man

. I wish my son would give me a half hour of quiet. I miss him being in school lol. I totally keep remembering those staples commercials with the parents gleefully pushing carts through the store while throwing everything into the carts to buy.



Today I took pictures of garden plants to swap on the garden swap here....I also got EGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woohoo and I took a ton of pictures of them, numbered them, started my record keeping etc. I have 14 eggs that are 'napping' and waiting to go into the incubators. I had my husband adjust the manual incubator today because I didn't like the temperature reading that I was getting from EITHER thermometer. I am going to start a page (if I can figure it out) on this hatch and all the pics etc.
6 Crested Cream Legbars
8 Rhodebars

Ok, how are yours doing? Have you candled? I tried taking pictures today when my eggs arrived, not sure how they will come out on here but I am going to try to document this hatch more.

THANK YOU ALL for the well wishes on Ethel, I believe she just decided to go to the neighbors yard....they have yummy things over there. She looked frantic this morning with her passing to come back and the first thing she did when I picked her up over the fence was run to the coop and drink. She then hung out with her friends. I am wondering if she left an egg over in my neighbors yard

...I also am tempted to go over to them and apologize. I don't think they even noticed, but I feel kind of bad....she was in their front yard. They know we have chickens and have been friendly about it and totally just ignore us and them for the most part. They wave to my husband and always have been cordial. Would it be weird of me to apologize?

 

[animallover505]

My pullets are due to start laying today, it's the 20 week mark, but I've only got 5 eggs. I guess I'll have to wait for blue eggs.

 

[Sallysec]

I swear the colored eggs take longer lol

few more weeks and you will have them AL. I miss my blue eggs, now I just get a greenish one.

I also got a surprise today because the girls that are molting in the townhouse...someone finally laid an egg! J Lo wins a prize for laying an egg.

 

[lindz8504]

Okay I multi quoted more than this and they all got eaten .....soooooo Welcome back lindz and that sounds like a lot of eggs for three layers just starting out. A lot of pullets lay an egg and wait a few days when they first start so you may have more than what you think laying. Once they lay regularly they become egg machines. I am surprised when I don't get eight for eight now. Today I got six so far...my girls lay later in the day it would seem, but then it changes regularly by a few hours because of the cycle cheeka mentioned. I have had the two eggs from one hen effect because we check the eggs at different times etc. Good luck catching up.



Looks like you have some cuties

I love the name clarabelle.

I was getting on average 5 eggs each per 7 days from my older girls who were hatched spring of 2012. I was only gone for 11 days and got 31 eggs! Something is up I think! LOL! I got home last night and noticed Clarabelle was broody, and hubby said that she had been on the nest for 3 days. I left today's eggs under her, one small and one large, which is what I expect from Bertha and Amelia. I guess we will see if any more show up in there this evening and then I will know that someone else is laying!

And another question.... A guy Hubby works with wants to know how much we want for a dozen of eggs....What do you all price your eggs at?

 

[BullChick]

I have had nothing but bad luck with my blue egg layers. I am tempted to give up, but I know I will be hatching out more eggs eventually (a lot of people are trying to increase my chicken math now)
and I will have at least a few EE. I actually had one EE chick I really liked, but sold it last week. Maybe I should hatch more eggs. You know. Just to see how many EE I get.